St. Tammany authorities have arrested three Slidell teenagers in connection with a Slidell-area church burglary. Money, several bottles of wine and jewelry were stolen in the burglary, which occurred Monday (June) 9 at St. Genevieve Catholic Church in the 58000 block of Highway 433 near Slidell, according to Sheriff Jack Strain's office.

Strain's office said the thieves broke into the church through an outer door that was locked. They destroyed a safe and several computer monitors, and damaged several doors throughout the building, Strain's office said. They made away with $2,100, several bottles of wine and jewelry, authorities said.

Sheriff's office detectives identified one of the suspects on Tuesday (June 10) and contacted the Slidell Police Department. Slidell police were looking for that teen in connection with a burglary at Max's One Stop Drink Shop on Gause Boulevard, according to Strain's office.

Five teens eventually were located and interviewed. The sheriff's office said three of them admitted to burglarizing the church.

Those teens, all 15, were booked in the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center with simple burglary of a religious building. Their names have not been released because they are juveniles.

The other teens were booked in connection with burglarizing the Slidell business, Strain's office said. Information on their arrests was not immediately available.

Some of the money and items stolen from the church has been returned, authorities said, but investigators still are trying to locate the rest of it.